Text Structure Patterns of Organization What is Text

Text Structure Patterns of Organization

What is Text Structure? How information in a passage is organized We will study six common patterns: • • • Chronological Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Problem and Solution Sequence / Process Descriptive

Chronological Information is organized in order of time. Chrono = time Logic = order Example Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after. ALL stories are told chronologically.

Sequence / Process Writing Information is listed step-by-step. Explains how to do it or how it happens. Don’t confuse with chronological! 4. Flip omelet. 3. Cook on one side. 2. Add cheese. 1. Crack a few eggs. Does not occur at a specific time.

Signal Words for Order • Before • After • In the beginning • Then • To start • Finally • First • Last • Next • In the middle • During • In the end

Cause and Effect An action and its results are explained. Cause Students did not learn the material. Effect They performed poorly on the test. • Don’t confuse with chronological. • Won’t have a beginning, middle, and end. • Time won’t progress much.

Signal Words: C&E • Since • So • Because • Then • If • Leads to • Due to • Consequently • As a result of

Compare and Contrast Tells how two things are similar and different. Apples & Oranges

Signal Words: C&C • Similar • Different • Alike • Unlike • Same • In contrast • Just like • On the other hand • Both

Problem and Solution A problem and answer are suggested. Problem Solution My dog is missing Post signs, call police • Don’t confuse with cause and effect. • It is presented as a PROBLEM.

Signal Words: Prob/Sol • Problem • Because of • Issue • Solve • Cause • Leads to • Since • Due to • Consequently • So • Therefore • Then • As a result

Descriptive Writing Describes something in order of space. Describes how something looks. TIME DOESN’T PASS in these passages. Two windows on the West wall le. d d i m e h t in d e Ab My bedroom A television across from the bed. A clo set b y the TV

Signal Words: Descriptive • For example • For instance • Characteristics include • Specifically • In addition

Tips to Identify 1. Ask, “what is the author doing in this paragraph? ” Put it in your own words. 2. Have a hunch? Use the graphic organizer to see if the info fits. 3. Look for signal words.

Practice 1. Read each passage. 2. Determine how the text is organized: cause and effect, compare and contrast, chronological order, sequence / process writing, problem and solution, or spatial / descriptive. 3. Write your answer.

Popular Sports Football and baseball are two of the most popular sports in the country. They have many things in common. For one, they are both team sports, and they both require players to advance to an end or “home” point on the playing field. However, football requires players to carry the ball to the end zone, whereas in baseball, it is the defending team that controls the ball while it is in play.

Studying for a Test Believe it or not, as important as it is, many students do not know how to study for a test. Well, studying for a test is easy. The first thing that you must do is take out your notes. Open your notes up to the section that you are supposed to review. Read what you wrote in your notebook. When you are done, close your notebook and see if you remember the ideas that you were studying. Still don’t remember? Open your notebook back up a try again.

Sports at Ericson There are two popular sports played at Ericson, basketball and volleyball. Both take place inside of the gym at Ericson. Also, each sport has two teams of people. In basketball, however, the ball can be played off of the floor, and in volleyball, the ball cannot touch the floor or it is out of play. Basketball and volleyball are popular sports at Ericson.

Fewer Toads Though toads are still around, they no longer are as common in some areas as they were a few decades ago. The growing use of insecticides has reduced their numbers. The chemical sprays usually do not harm toads, but cut down the animals’ food supply. Thereby, the toads do not have enough food to survive. There are fewer toads in many areas populated by humans.

Restoring the Toad Dr. Knapp doesn’t want people to sit back and let the toad vanish. He believes that everyone is responsible for restoring the toad species. Dr. Knapp thinks we could help restore the toad population if we stop mowing parts of our lawns and let the grass grow wild to reserve space for the toad. He also believes we need to stop using pesticides and fertilizers. The chemicals kill the insects that toads eat. If we preserve some spaces in our lawns and stop using fertilizers, Dr. Knapp believes we can save the toads.

Low Test Scores Many students have been getting low scores on tests and this is upsetting to parents, teachers, and students. Low test scores show that teachers aren’t teaching effectively or that students aren’t learning. Either way it’s an issue with which we are concerned. I propose the following: any teacher who is giving a test should open up their classroom for study groups the night and morning before the test. Maybe by giving students extra opportunities to study, we can improve students’ test scores.

The Gym Room The gym room at the high school down the street from me is huge. Along the North and South walls are bleachers that fold up during gym. Coach pulls the bleachers out for big games. At the end of the East and West walls are basketball hoops. The ceilings are very high and at the top of the gym are many large windows. The windows go all the way around the gym. There also ropes that are either tucked away or hang from the ceilings in the middle of the gym. The ropes intimidate some students. That gym is my favorite place.

Eligibility Being involved in after school sports and clubs is not a right. It is a privilege. Therefore, students have to meet eligibility requirements. If students have any “D”s or “F”s, they are not allowed to play. Also, if students have behavior issues in class, they cannot be on the team or in the club. Lastly, students need to keep good attendance. If students miss school, they most certainly cannot come to practice. Being on a team is a lot of responsibility. If students are not proving to be responsible, they will not be permitted to be in clubs or teams.

Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Compare and contrast Sequence Compare and contrast Cause and effect Problem/solution Descriptive Cause and effect

PRACTICE! • Write a descriptive passage about your favorite room in your home (5 -8 complete sentences) • Write a sequence passage about how to make your favorite meal (5 -8 complete sentences) • Write a compare & contrast passage about your two _____ (5 -8 complete sentences)